Burnt Chili Garlic Noodles

This is insanely good! If you love the aroma of fried garlic and the charred chili peppers you are going to get under the influence of the flavors pretty soon. Forever.

The heat, spice and the strong aromas blend in perfectly with the mild noodles. I was making the noodles for next day’s lunch and desired to add this twist; a tiny break from the popular Hakka Noodles. Last weekend when we had a fun evening with a couple of friends and we had ordered a Burnt Chili Garlic Fried Rice and I just fell in love with the name even before we started eating.

So the inspired recipe today. Not a Fried Rice (though that can be done too, quite easily) but a bowlful of lip smacking noodles.

The thoughts of the Richard family in Boston and the others who were so tragically affected have been resting heavily in my mind. As I move through the day, a dull numbing pain overwhelms and I keep wondering how life can change in an instance: from a bright and peaceful composure to darkness – devastated, lost and scarred for ever. As the news unfold after the unfortunate day, we watch them helplessly with nothing but heart wrenching pain. All I want to do right now is hold on tightly to my family and all those who I care for and cherish every fraction of a second for I know not what holds for us tomorrow. Time will not heal this, words will not console, no hugs will soothe the pain. And to think that some countries in this world go through similar situations multiple times a day. Why is a peaceful world so out of our reach??Praying earnestly for all – the victims and those who are out there taking care of them.

Noodles are magical things. The possibilities with them are innumerable and I have not heard of a single child not loving them. Call it spaghetti, Lo Mein, Chow Mein, or just plain buttered noodles.

I had been using the Chings Hakka Noodles (a brand from India) for the Indian Chinese recipes. Recently I found the Asian dried noodles which work so much better than the Chings. They are less starchy and easy to work with. The recipe was not really meant to be built as a blog post. But I just had to. It is too good not to share. And it is quick and simple.

I had found some really fresh carrots and asparagus. Some of those vegetables went in the noodles. Any vegetables you would like to add is good to go. If you want meat or seafood, those may be added too.

Heat 1.5 tablespoon of oil. Add the crushed chili pepper and powder and let them cook, sizzle and brown. They will turn dark brown and even might make you cough. It is this burnt aroma you are looking for. It will mellow when you add the noodles. If you do not want the heat/spice strain the oil and discard the chili pepper. If you want stronger flavor allow the oil to sit overnight and then strain.I have not strained the oil.

Return oil to the pan/wok. Add the sliced garlic. Allow them to turn golden or even a little darker if you want. Increase the heat and add the vegetables and salt. Quickly stir fry moving them around in the wok/pan, for only about a minutes or less.

Add the drained noodles, and quickly toss everything together for the oil and the vegetables to combine well. Combine vinegar and soy sauce and add to the noodles. Toss again to for the vinegar and soy sauce to combine with the noodles. Switch off the heat and adjust salt.

Drizzle the toasted sesame oil and garnish with sliced green onions and chopped cilantro and toss just before serving. Serve warm.

Preparation Time: Less than 15 minutesCooking Time: Less than 15 minutesDifficulty Level: Very EasyServes: 1-2

15 comments to Burnt Chili Garlic Noodles

Hey,
It looks soooo good. One question though…where did you get Asian dried noodle? Any brand name? I don’t like Ching’s either…

I got them from Kroger, the chain grocery stores here. It is Noodle House Ind. Co. Dried Noodles (the company is Hong Kong based I think). The ingredients have wheat flour and also tapioca flour. If you have Asian stores, they should carry a lot more variety of noodles.

Wow! This looks so good and inviting Soma. I am huge fan of Chinese cuisine, however since the awareness for MSG has dawned upon us, our visits of Chinese restaurants have increasingly diminished. Your clicks are excellent and I love the styling.

There is nothing else to do for us then to move on and continue on with life, but I agree that it gets hard sometimes when things like this happen. I just simply cannot and willnot understand why anyone would do something so horrible? In the meantime your dish looks absolutely gorgeous and delicious!

I’m from Boston and I appreciate your support! It has been a rough week, but I have a three year old and I had to keep living this week as if everything were normal. We cooked a lot (so I could at least eat my feelings.) These were so delicious! I used peanut oil to give them an extra flavor boost and through the scallions in with the carrots to help flavor the oil a little more. Thank you for the recipe. My husband loved them. My daughter loved them. I loved them. I will make these a lot. I can’t wait to tr some of your other recipes.

DO NOT COPY!

Copyright:

All content on this blog, including
the photography and written text,
are our work, which means it is
copyrighted with All Rights Reserved.
No work from this blog
may be used for republishing
and for commercial purposes
without our permission.